In preparation for my maternity leave (in August 2017), I started the process of pulling out all the information that was stuck in my brain and documenting it, all the little tips and tricks I had or the rationale and context behind certain processes. There’s nothing like the deadline of...

So, if you’re reading this blog post, you probably know a bit about us: we’re The Portal, a virtual workforce of intelligent, professional and dedicated administrative assistants, directed by experienced, strategic and process-driven managers. We provide executive-level administrative assistance, customer service support, back-end office management and project management to our...

Why is it so easy to push someone else’s agenda, and so hard to push yours? Why do we work ourselves to the bone in the pursuit of a company strategy, but find it hard to even get started on our goals? One of the reasons (among many I’m sure,...

Ah…holiday gifting…a phrase that strikes panic into the heart of many a small business owner. How do you show appreciation for your clients in a thoughtful, yet on-brand way?  We all know no one needs one more ‘knick-knack’ on their desk, but branded elements are visual reminders of your business....

Hello, I’m Laurian and I’m a perfectionist. We have this insane desire to be better than everyone around us; great is not enough. We’re born with this fire to always do more. That fire keeps us up all night until the job is done. That fire is what delivers the...

We’ve all seen those memes that have a really frustrated face and the copy, “When they call you, instead of just texting.” Over several years, with cell phone data plans and wifi becoming common-place, most of us have moved from phone calls to text-based (SMS, instant messaging, email etc.) communication....